Once Upon A Prequel
by LilLolita20
Summary: Prequeal to Once Upon A December. “I will have every one of your house points, ban your friends from all school activities…and make you listen to the girls in this school moan my name every single night for the rest of our years here at Hogwarts.”


Authors Note: For those who have read my previous work ONCE UPON A DECEMBER, I am making this much longer version that gives us all a little bit of background on how Draco became so enamored with Hermione. I have read and considered all reviews and will try my hardest to include the ideas of others in this new and improved version of OUAD. Thanks so much for reading and please review! Oh yeah…I don't own Harry Potter, and endless thanks to Pippin!

*Mopes*

Chapter One

*Flashback*

"_You, you foul, loathsome, evil little cockroach!" Hermione raised her wand at Malfoy. He backed against the wall, whimpering as if he were actually scared. Ron ran and came up behind Hermione, Harry at his side. "Hermione, no! He's not worth it." Hermione lowered her wand and turned away. Draco began laughing, and spinning around Hermione socked him in the nose. Crabbe grabbed Malfoy and began to tug him away, "Malfoy! Are you okay? Come on, let's go!" Turning they ran back towards Hogwarts, and Draco could hear Hermione as she faded into the background, "That felt good." Then that weasel had to butt in, "Not good, brilliant!"_

*End*

Lightning flashed across the rain spattered window of the Hogwarts Express, Draco Malfoy staring silently into the darkness outside as the rocking motion of the train created a sort of calm within his world of chaos. Holding a hand beneath his chin his eyes simply scanned the room as the lights suddenly flickered and then dimmed bringing him out of his thoughts as the train came to a slow halt. He had often thought about the day that Hermione had socked him one. It had taken him off guard and he wasn't sure how to deal with that. He was so used to girls fawning over him and willing to do whatever he wanted. But not Hermione. No, she had a mind of her own and Draco found that he liked that. Ever since that afternoon Draco had a new-found respect for Hermione that he dare not share with anyone. Draco sat upright in the compartment and looked up as the door opened and a familiar head of curls came in. While a mere shadow to human eyes, Draco could make out the short, graceful form of Hermione Granger, as clear as if the sun shown down on her singularly. He smiled as she walked over to her seat and sat, curled up in the corner nearest the window. She spoke without looking at him, "As we are both prefects this year, and have been assigned to patrol together, bunk together, and be in one another's general vicinity you should remember one thing Malfoy, leave me the hell alone…", Her voice was soft and her eyes never once looked up to him when she spoke. Hermione brought her knees up to her chest her head resting on her arms as the compartments heat seeped into her through her clothes. Draco was cordial, his blood slightly heated from her crude language, "Well Granger, seeing as how I have no intention of doing anything you tell me to let me tell you a little secret." He watched as she raised her head, curls falling into her face and her chocolate brown eyes boring into his cold silver, gray ones, "I am not going to dishonor the name of prefect…I will be on time for all meetings, fully go through rounds on patrol, keep my grades up to your standards and not refer to you in any kind of derogatory way. I am no fool and I am no longer a Pureblood bully…but if you get in my way while I make my own way through this sad excuse for a school," he came forward and knelt in front of her seat, tucking a stray curl back behind a slightly pink ear, "I will have every one of your house points, ban your friends from all school activities…and make you listen to the girls in this school moan my name every single night for the rest of our years here at Hogwarts."

Hermione curled sleepily in her seat upon the Hogwarts Express, her head resting on the burgundy pillow she had pulled from her trunk and a black fleece blanket wrapped around her entire form. She had been nowhere near sleep as the warmth of the compartment slowly ebbed and was replaced with a nightly chill, the rain still thundering outside the window. Apparently, a washing out of the train tracks could actually stop a magical train in the process of bringing witches and wizards to a magical school in Scotland. After the exchange with Malfoy earlier, Hermione was left with a strange sense of happiness at the strange way he tucked her hair behind her ear, his coffee scented breath on her face and the smoothness of his voice as his words fluttered past her ears.

Earlier when she had seen that they shared a compartment, she quickly deposited her things and shot straight for the compartment that held Harry, Ron, Ginny, Luna and Neville. When she arrived however, she was greeted with the sickening sight of Lavender making out with "Won Won". She immediately felt out of place and a small crack in her heart appeared. Hermione endured it as long as she could but the sweetness, the pet names and disgusting displays of affection drove her to say a few hurried goodbyes as she found herself back out into the halls of the train. The cool night air, as well as a few well placed raindrops made it through a cracked window and onto her heated cheeks. She rubbed them into her skin without a second thought and mixed it with the sudden appearance of tears on her cheeks.

Making her way back into the compartment, she was greeted by the sight of one, Draco Malfoy looking at her with a bemused expression on his pale face. It was the same expression that he had worn when she had punched square in the face. It had felt so great when she had punched him, but at the same time she had felt a little guilty. Had she overreacted that afternoon? What he had said was unforgivable, no doubt about that, but still.... she knew how he had been raised. How his father treated him when he wasn't living up to the Malfoy standard. She also knew that the hard, emotionless front he put on was just that. A mask. He couldn't truly be like that, could he? She was just beginning to wonder if he ever thought about that afternoon, as she then laid down the ground rules for him. Then she had felt strange…almost a feeling of hurt instead of hatred had taken place in her voice when she talked with him. Hermione knew this was going to be a long night.

Hermione kept her eyes half lidded in the dimmed compartment; Malfoy was sitting with his back against the wall next to the window. The black fleece blanket she had thrown at him earlier, had been placed across his legs…she was surprised he even used the thing. He had crossed his muscled arms across his chest, and long white blonde locks of hair fell into his face…mussed by a hand a moment ago and he was breathing as if asleep. Hermione couldn't believe that she was sleeping in such close quarters with Draco Malfoy, Ferret extraordinaire. Professor McGonagall was patrolling the hallway outside and the soft glow from the tip of her wand would pass by the door every so often and no matter how long Hermione laid there trying to convince herself that all was well…she could not, for the life of her, fall asleep.

Draco watched Hermione toss and turn before finally giving up and laying on her side…the soft brown of her chocolate eyes watched him in the dim light. He almost smiled to himself, but that would have given him away. He had been inhaling her wonderful vanilla, lavender scent from the blanket she had thrown at him earlier. Despite the fact that he was wearing a wool turtleneck, thick slacks, and his almost inhuman body heat, he still couldn't block the freezing cold that entered his body. He had tried everything. Rubbing his arms, breathing into his cupped hands. He had even tried curling up into a ball but decided that he felt rather ridiculous in that position. Deciding to just deal with the cold, he had been surprised when a ball of fleece had smacked him in the face. He heard Hermione say dryly, "Just be glad it wasn't my fist again Ferret". A faint smile crossed his face as he pulled the blanket around him. "It certainly was softer" he said as the aroma of vanilla with a tint of lavender played with his senses. Now he just sat there, motionless, feigning sleep as he watched Hermione struggle, still inhaling her scent but not so much that it would give him away. He found the blend of the two aromas intoxicating. He would be sure to stuff it in his own trunk when she finally did fall asleep. Draco was glad that she couldn't see his eyes through his hair in the dim light, she would have too many questions, and right now…he would rather string her along a bit more, drive her crazy…and then answer all those beautiful questions of hers.

Hermione stretched and rolled to look at the ceiling. The compartment was warm and the soft glow of the lights within the compartment had been extinguished. Opening her eyes wider she realized the soft rocking of the train had woken her. Sitting up she realized that it was still dark outside and that she was alone in the compartment. Draco was nowhere to be seen and her blanket was gone as well. Running a hand through her sleep mussed curls she yawned and rubbed her face. _"I must have fallen asleep."_ Standing she stretched, her eyes wandering to the rain still pelting the window, "_Malfoy was rather strange this evening. I wonder what has gotten into him." _Smiling softly to herself she ran a hand over the back of her neck and walked to the window. Placing her hand on the cold glass she sighed softly and leaned her forehead next to her hand. This was going to be a long year indeed.


End file.
